I Should Have Told You (Lisbeth and Kirito)
by AUS Wild Thing
Summary: What if Kirito had something to tell the broken and saddened Lisbeth? Something he should have a while ago? Takes place after Lisbeth ran out of the blacksmith shop crying. One Shot


(Author's Note: I wrote this story because I always liked Lisbeth more than Asuna. Please tell me what you think; I'm not a great writer if I'm honest. But I hope you enjoy it and feel free to help me with areas that I could improve on)

I Should Have Told You.

The tears fell freely from Lisbeth's eyes; she made no attempt to fight them, because it was a losing battle from the beginning. She mentally cursed herself for being so weak and allowing herself to make such a fuss over what many would see as a nothing to cry about. But she couldn't stop.

She wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her face in her arms to shield her face from the sun. Why did she run away like that? Why was she crying? The very questions that she refused to answer, because she knew why. Kirito, plain and simple. The beater, the solo player and possibly the strongest gamer in the world of Sword Art Online. Lisbeth never swooned over boys; they were never a priority to her in the real world, she had met many boys in her life and knew how to act around them, but Kirito wasn't like any of them.

First of all he was different. He was cool calm and collected even in the most perilous of situations, he was brave and somewhat stubborn, and Lisbeth realized this after only a minute of meeting him. She smirked at the memory of the way he acted at first, the way he broke her finest sword after testing its durability. The way she yelled at him for doing so, the way he wanted to undertake the quest to the West Mountain alone without her so she wouldn't slow him down. Secondly there was no denying the fact that his heart was pure. He wasn't looking for glory or for fame; he wanted to do what was in everyone's best interest. He saved Lisbeth's life; he proved to her that this game, this world doesn't have to be a prison, a place of despair. She could still love and laugh; she could cherish the moments in front of her, rather than worry about every little thing that goes wrong.

That's why this was so hard for her. The boy, without knowing it had stolen her heart. He was Lisbeth's first love, the first boy she was willing to fight for just to spend more time with. The first boy she was willing to give everything for, just to see his face and hear his voice.

Yes she loved Kirito. But as far as she could tell, the boy did not return the feelings. Lisbeth got the hint when Asuna arrived; the two bickered back and forth, like good friends always do. This simple gesture broke Lisbeth's heart. The love for Kirito, she knew would never fade away. If only she had realized it earlier, if only she had made her move earlier. How long had she known though?

Was it when the two returned from the Mountain? No further back. When they escaped the Dragon nest? No further back still. Was it when they spent the night together? She blushed at the memory, the way she so stupidly asked to hold his hand. The warmth she felt was real, more real than anything she had ever felt, not just in-game, but in real life as well. The sensation was like nothing she had ever experienced. It was then she realized she had always loved him, the emotions were always there, but they only truly ignited after their little moment in the nest.

The tears began to fall like rain, as she realized she would never feel the same sensation ever again. The warmth he had to offer, it belonged to someone else, she would never experience the way love felt, at least not with Kirito, her first love.

Lisbeth rocked back and forth under the bridge, she had been away for some time and the sun was beginning to set. She looked across the wide grassy plains and smiled, despite being trapped in this world she had to admit, it was beautiful; thanks to Kirito she had begun to realize just how special this world is, he had taught her to find the positive, in even the most difficult of situations. But this time, she couldn't find one, the only thoughts clouding her mind was sadness. She was so caught up in her thoughts and memories that she failed to notice the figure standing over her.

"Liz?" the stranger asked. The voice was one she recognized instantly. She quickly looked over, and sure enough there he stood. His black hair and long fringe that covered his forehead. His dark mystical eyes, the same ones she could stare into all day.

"Kirito?" she responded trying to put on her usual bubbly voice, but failing miserably.

The tone had Kirito feeling somewhat disheartened. This wasn't the Liz he knew, this wasn't the same girl he had met at the store, the same girl he had butted heads with on their journey.

"Liz, I'm sorry" he apologized, trying desperately to have to the real Liz back. Kirito too had done some thinking and he had realized something that he had been stupid, he had made a mistake.

"Don't apologize" Liz said. "It's not your fault; I'm just being ridiculous as usual. It's not my place to drag you into my problems. You didn't do anything wrong, I lead myself to believe something that wasn't true and…" she stopped as Kirito placed a finger over her lips.

"Liz, listen to me" he spoke sternly "It is my fault, I was so blind that I didn't realize something that I should have realized the day we met"

Liz just stared into Kirito's eyes, she could see pain, and he was truly upset. He was blaming himself for the state she was in; she couldn't bear the thought of putting him through this. She wanted to say something, but the words never formed.

"Do you remember what I said, when we were in the nest?" Kirito asked. Liz had remembered every word that he spoke that night and she would never forget it. Kirito didn't wait for a response, he began talking again. "I told you I would defeat this game; put an end to this world. And I meant it. I also said that I wouldn't allow someone like you to die. But I never said why" Kirito's voice was beginning to lose its confidence the more he spoke, but still he continued. "You mean so much to me Liz; you're the first person to allow me to trust myself since…" his voice trailed off as he remembered the events with the Moonlit Black Cats guild. The way he lied to them and led them to their deaths, the way he broke his friendships and promises.

Now it was Kirito's turn to cry, the tears began gliding down his cheeks. He hung his head in shame so Liz could no longer see his eyes past his long fringe. He had never told anyone about the guild and what happened. Despite this, Liz's heart was breaking for the boy in front of her, she then realized that he had made too many promises and was putting the players' fates in his hands. Clearly this burden was too much to carry on his own. So she did the only thing she could do. She pulled her friend into a comforting hug. Kirito made no move to stop her and buried his face into her shoulder; Liz just stroked his hair and began to cry once again.

After a few minutes Kirito finally spoke again. "Liz, I don't want to regret the decisions I make, not anymore. And I won't miss an opportunity like this again. I should have told you this a while ago. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever met; I don't want to go on without you by my side, I promise, right here, right now I will never let anything happen to you, because... I…" Kirito paused for a moment; he pulled away from Liz's embrace and set his piercing gaze to her face. "Liz, I love you"

There it was the three words that Liz longed to hear. The three words she thought would never be directed at her. It was almost like a dream, the feelings she felt at that moment were identical to the warmth that Kirito had to offer, she never thought such a feeling even existed. But right now, she had no doubts that it was real.

"Kirito… I" tears began to form in Liz's eyes. The feeling of pure bliss was coursing through her veins. It was the first time in her life she felt complete. "I love you too" she wasted no time in wrapping her arms around his neck, this hug felt different, it poured out the love that she had bottled up inside her. She was giving him all the love she had inside her.

Kirito returned the embrace with just as much love. He smiled to himself at how such a wonderful human being could exist, and the fact that she could love him.

"I'm sorry Liz, for taking this long to realize my feelings"

"You should be you fool" Liz yelled. "Do you realize what you put me through?"

Kirito just smiled. "Yes I do and not a minute goes by that I don't regret letting it happen. I won't hesitate with my emotions again, I promise… In fact"

Kirito swiftly grabbed a hold of Liz's cheeks and brought his lips to hers. The kiss was soft and lifted the hearts of both gamers. Neither had experienced their first kiss, but this was magical. Liz was in a state of shock, this was really happening, could it be possible?

Of course it was, this was real, and this was love. She surrendered to the kiss; it felt like she was on cloud nine. For the first time Liz felt that the game world no longer existed, this was her world, her safe haven, in the arms of Kirito.

The two then separated after some time, and stared directly into each other's eyes.

"Liz" Kirito began. "I made a promise to you and I intend to keep it, the same promise I made to everyone else. To Asuna, Klein, Agil, Sicilia. Everyone. I will beat this game and put everything back the way it was. But you have given me more reason than any. I will win, we will meet in the real world, and I will find you. Our relationship is just as strong out there as it is here"

Lisbeth could only admire the strength of this boy. He was willing to carry her life, along with thousands of others on his back, and he was willing to do so alone. But now, he wouldn't have to.

"I believe you Kirito, and I can't wait for the day when we meet for real. But I won't allow you to go out there alone. I will be there for you every step of the way, through thick or thin. But right now, I will do what you taught me. I will cherish every moment I have here, and will be there when you need me most, just like you will be there for me I love you, more than anything"

The End

(Author's note: Please tell me what you think, give me some constructive criticism for future stories. Please note that this is my first SAO fanfic, so if I made any mistakes please point them out and I will try to correct them.)


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